Apparently you've never sold a car as a private SELLER. There are different standards, like it or not, for the party "types" involved in a transaction. Either way, we can disagree and still be friends, lol. But I will add, I'm not entirely sure it's in the best interest of a business to take the word of a customer over the internet sight unseen. In general to get a full refund the item is returned, which is entirely impossible in this case, and that's exactly why the data has to be there.
...and to reiterate, the proof is in the pudding. The OP may very well be right, it's just a matter of showing us he is and at that point there's really no arguement.
Well, yes and no... for a one-time or occasional private seller of a single vehicle, yes, you are correct. I doubt highly that someone who's had, as the seller is putting it, "tons of past deals" is exactly considered to be a "private seller", as in the car example. I was assuming a history of selling, and the seller seems to back that up, and so was foregoing caveats that would possibly absolve the very occasional or one-time private sellers...
And I've never once disputed that he has every right to see the proof of the accusation... I think that he does. What I object to is the repeated assertion that no matter what, the buyer is not due a full refund, period. That there is this strange "unknown rule" that everyone's supposed to know that states that any buyer in a sale that goes south with someone who's not a full-time seller is expected to "take a hit", just because the seller is a "hobbyist". This attitude is wrong, and is the specific thing I'm against. I've not stood up for the OP's claims in the least bit, I'm discussing the business principles here.
I think the seller would still have most people's respect with about a 4-line post:
"Man, I am so sorry about this boa's death... can you please provide pictures so I can confirm identity and death? I swear I didn't see anything wrong with him before shipping him out, but boas can sometimes mask illness until it's too late. If it turns out that we can establish proof that this boa was in compromised health before I shipped him, you can expect a full refund of your purchase price."
There, problem solved. The seller is free to then pursue the necropsy results as proof of death and pathology, and everyone knows that he intends to fully compensate his customer if the results show the customer was not at fault. To date, the seller's attitude has not only been "I need more proof, more proof, and more proof (this is fine, and to be expected somewhat)", it has been "No matter what proof I see, even if it's a slam dunk that the boa's health was poor before it was shipped, you're not getting all your money back anyway because I've lost a beautiful boa blah blah blah blah waaaaaaaah". The seller is basically trying to trade sympathy for trade equity, which is entirely not the customer's concern, and entirely irrelevant to what the right outcome is for the buyer.
I agree with you, basically.
